1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a connector used for an electric part such as an IC, a circuit board or the like.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
A connector used for an IC, etc. comprises a connector main body, and a plurality of connectors arranged in array on the connector body at narrow pitches, each contact having an elastically shiftable contacting element, the contacting element being provided with a contacting nose portion, the contacting nose portion being press contacted with a terminal of an IC, etc. by resilient force of the contacting element. As means for isolating adjacent contacts, Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei 3-71746 discloses a construction in which contact positioning holes or grooves are formed in an outer peripheral portion of an IC platform, and by inserting the contacting nose portions of the contacting elements into the holes or grooves and by interposing a positioning hole forming wall or groove forming wall between adjacent contacting nose portions, the contacting elements are regulated.
In the above prior art, since the hole forming wall, etc. interposed between the adjacent contacting nose portions linearly arranged are used as isolation means, this means is equivalent to the means in which the adjacent contacting elements are isolated by interposing a partition wall, which is integral with the connector main body, between the adjacent contacting elements. In any case, it is required to form the isolation wall which is to be interposed between the adjacent contacting nose portions. In such isolation means, when contact pitches become extremely narrow, formation of the isolation wall becomes difficult. Therefore, this conventional arrangement cannot cope with the tendency for arranging contacts at narrower pitches.
If the contacting nose portions are arranged in staggered relation, the above problem can be obviated. However, since the contacting nose portions cannot be contacted with the terminals of an IC, etc. at constant position, this arrangement is not practical. In order to realize stable contact between the contacting nose portions and the terminals of an IC, etc., it is demanded that the contacting nose portions are linearly arranged, and in the foregoing state, the adjacent contacting elements are electrically properly isolated.